Avid's Role in the Epic Journey of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Technology Category
- Sensors - Acoustic Sensors
- Sensors - Haptic Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Equipment & Machinery
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Time Sensitive Networking
- Visual Quality Detection
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The customer in this case is the production team of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, led by director JJ Abrams. The team includes editors Maryann Brandon, ACE, and Mary Jo Markey, ACE, both of whom once again joined the director for what is considered an even bigger adventure of his career as he reintroduced Star Wars. Associate editors Julian Smirke and Matt Evans rejoined Abrams, Brandon, and Markey, having worked with the trio on Mission: Impossible III, and every Abrams film thereafter. The team works at Bad Robot, Abrams’ film and television production company, where work on the director’s projects, including The Force Awakens, is done.
The Challenge
The challenge was to edit the long-awaited, VFX-heavy film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film was shot using a variety of cameras and formats, including 35mm, 65mm, digital, and 3D for final delivery. The film was also shot primarily at 35mm cinemascope and 65mm IMAX for some scenes. The editing team had to manage these different formats and ensure a seamless final product. Additionally, the film was a top-secret project, requiring secure storage solutions for the files. The team also had to incorporate a temporary 5.1 surround sound mix, which was a new workflow for them.
The Solution
The team relied on Avid Artist Suite creative solutions for editing the multi-formatted, story-driven scenes. They used anywhere from eight to 12 Media Composer systems, depending on where they were in the process. They also used Avid Storage Suite shared media storage, which is connected at Bad Robot via Ethernet, so employees can collaborate and be added easily as needed. To make the assets more manageable and trackable for other users, associate editors Julian Smirke and Matt Evans generated a database for marketing and management to use for locating specific shots and technical information as needed. The main editorial codebook, created using VFX editor Martin Kloner’s FileMaker Pro databases, includes all the dailies imported from Avid bins. That codebook links up to all the other databases used for the visual effects, continuity, ADR (automated dialog replacement), and turnovers.
Operational Impact
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